NHS Annual Fall Play: The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon

Nutley High School’s annual fall play will continue to be performed and live-streamed on November 14th at 7:00PM. With the help of Julia Resnick, as director and NHS Senior, and Mr. Michael Gurrieri, as producer and advisor of the International Thespian Society, the show was able to be completely student run and produced. Tickets will be available to buy during the first week of November. 

The production is named The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon, written by Don Zolidis, and retells various fairy tales in a unique and quirky way. This specific production was made specifically for virtual shows and at-home performances. All rehearsals have been done virtually, through Zoom and Google Meets, in order to keep everyone performing social distanced. "This play was chosen by the Thespian Society Executive Board because it's a silly, fast-paced show with dynamic, well-known fairy tale characters,” states Gurrieri. 

While interviewed, Gurrieri explains the many factors that go into this play. He explains that online theatre is still a brand new concept, and lots of energy must be put in to capture the audience’s attention. He truly believes that this year’s cast will do an incredible job in doing so.

Julia adds, “We wouldn't have such a great show without all the people on camera and off.” Julia is excited for when the time comes to perform, and show their audience what this cast can really do. 

In The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon, there are approximately 15 to 20 people selected to be involved. To help Julia, two NHS students, Sam Schley as assistant director, and Mia Gheraty as stage manager, were given these important roles to move the play as smoothly as possible. Julia explains, “The hardest part about the play is keeping the energy up.” She explains that with online theatre, it is more difficult to give off the correct energy and enthusiasm, compared to doing theatre live. However, this play was written to be comedical and lively. This will give actors an advantage and more of an opportunity to capture the audience’s attentiveness, while still having a good time. 

More information can be found on the Thespian Society’s social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook. Mr. Gurreri states, “Anything that has the potential to bring people together (albeit virtually) and laugh is EXACTLY what we need right now!” Through hard work and repeated rehearsals, the show will be amazingly put together. “The actors are so funny and bring such awesome new elements to their characters,” Julia adds, “I can't wait for others to see the show.”